The creators of Durham-based The Startup Factory tell me that, while they won’t be able to make an official announcement for at least a few weeks, an expansion is definitely in the works.

“Here’s the basic skinny,” Heivly tells me. “We think we have a really good recipe for what I would call an emerging tech market. We think we know the roles people play and the things that have to be there. If we look at our experiences over the past four years in RTP, the question is, can we find other areas with similar characteristics where we can come in and play a role and have the success we have here?”

Specifically, they’re looking for a place that has access to capital, mentors and, obviously, enthusiastic entrepreneurs.

One possibility? St. Louis. Heivly tested it out in February, bringing his Big Top jobs event to the city, but he’s not saying if that's where he'll plant a permanent operation.

No matter where he chooses for the next installment of The Startup Factory, it’s a move that would help RTP entrepreneurs, he says.

“If we can operate in a few areas, it helps all the areas,” he says, pointing to the shared promotional and networking opportunities. Heivly, who says part of his job is advocating to investors on behalf of startups, says another location will widen what he can offer venture capitalists. “You get to show investors more companies.”

The more “really great stories” you can share - think ShareFile, Digitalsmiths, iContact, ChannelAdvisor (NYSE: ECOM) - the more investors will pay attention, he adds.

It’s an expansion that really started last year, when the team changed the accelerator’s name to The Startup Factory from Triangle Startup Factory, keeping the initials but allowing for more flexibility.

But it’s not Heivly’s only project. He’s also heavily involved in a festival organizers told me last year could one day be our own South by Southwest Festival: Paradoxos, scheduled for April 10-12. It sounds like a big event this year, complete with “dunk the venture capitalist” booths (“I’m excited about that,” Heivly says) and a job fair April 9 that should attract more than 400 job seekers. There’s even a talent show in which companies can give their pitch voices a rest and compete in a skit contest for $2,500.